Transcript of quarterback Mark Sanchez's news conference in front of his locker following the Jets' Wednesday afternoon practice at the Atlantic Health Training Center:
On if he expects a tough battle against Miami…
Of course, it's a physical group. It's an emotional game for both teams. Obviously, having Coach Sparano now, Coach Guge [OL coach Dave DeGuglielmo] makes it personal for those guys. They want us to play well, obviously. It's always a tough test playing Miami. They're a divisional opponent. That says enough right there.
On sweeping Miami…
It happens to be the second time we play them, so we're just trying to win the game. Whether that means we beat them 10 times before or not, whether we split with them or not, we want to win the game. In this case, obviously it means a sweep, so fine. I'm not really thinking about that. I know it means a lot to Rex [Coach Ryan], but we're just going out there trying to execute, convert third downs, be good in the red zone, do a lot of what we did last week and just finish the game.
On the difference in the offense since the first Miami game…
Having lost Tone [Santonio Holmes], we're really starting to find our groove now that I've really had the chance to mix it up with these wideouts, some new guys in there, some new faces, getting Jason Hill catches, getting Stephen Hill catches in crunch time. Obviously, the longer you play with guys, the better you feel with them. I think we're just starting to hit our stride on offense. You saw a lot of it last game, we just have to keep playing. We have our running game going a little better now, since the last time we played them. That's really an important part as well. We're definitely an improving group. Really, since the San Francisco game, just looking back at it, we've played some of our best football since then. I'm proud of that. Now we just have to put one altogether, offense, defense, special teams.
On how it would feel to go into the bye week with a win…
You'd love to be 4-4 going into the bye and on a winning note. That would feel good for everybody in the building. It just happens to be a bye week next week. You have to put everything into it and do our very best to come out with a win.
On how USC prepared him for the NFL…
In Los Angeles, there wasn't another football team other than UCLA, so we felt like we were a big deal in town. Obviously, you had the Lakers and the Kings, but as a media market, it's not quite New York, but very similar. There's a lot of attention in Los Angeles when it comes to USC football. It was a great stepping stone, nothing can be exactly New York, but it definitely prepared me. Tim Tessalone, Coach Carroll really helped me to get to where I am.
On throwing the ball more against the Patriots than the Colts…
The previous week we rushed for 252 yards. You throw the ball 18 times, so what. It's just the way the game went. The plays that happened to get called show that we're pretty versatile on offense. I was just really proud of those guys getting open, positioning themselves really well and making big catches for us. I think Stephen, Jeremy, Dustin, [Jonathan] Grimes had a catch, Lex [Hilliard] had a catch, everybody was contributing, so that was big for us. That just showed what else we could do in the passing game, and if we need it, it's there.
On needing to score touchdowns on red zone possessions…
That's huge. You have to come out of the red zone with points. When you play one of the best teams in the league, one of the best defenses and one of the best scoring offenses, you have to come away with seven points. That's our goal, but most importantly it's points. We'll just keep at it, hopefully build off of last week and prepare to play a great game.
On having Dustin Keller back…
Great. And then we lose Jeff [Cumberland]. It's this injury bug we've hit a little bit this year. Dustin, he's one of my best friends off the field, one of the best guys to play with, a great teammate. He studies his butt off and he makes big catches for us always. He's been my guy for four years and we just have to keep feeding him.
On the improvement in Kerley's route-running…
Just the experience, it's something that's constantly growing. His communication has gotten better, just on the sideline talking through stuff. His recognition of defenses has gotten better. That's one of the first things you see with an improving receiver, he knows what specific routes, he always has known what route to run against a specific coverage, but if you can't see it right away, you have to play slower and then you don't run as fast, you're thinking too much.
Now the game is really coming to him. He's trying to be one of the fastest mental players out there. Especially going through an offensive change like he did, coming in and learning one system, then the very next year is a little different for someone like me, who has been here for a while. He's doing a great job, all things considered. He had his first 100-yard game, which is pretty cool.
On what has changed in his receiving corps without Holmes…
Guys don't respect them enough, to be honest. I think it's an explosive group. I think they've shown that. The reason the ball is going around is because all of them have the ability to get open. I love Tone. We'd love to have him playing, but when someone says, "How do you feel playing without a No. 1?", that's not right for the guys that we have. I think they're all capable of being in that role and they've all shown it from time to time. Nothing, really. I'm trying to go through my progressions and get it to the right guy. Like [Mark] Brunell always said, "It's an easy game, just throw it to the open guy." I'm just working on that.
On if the receivers have chips on their shoulders…
Maybe, and part of it is just a little bit of experience. That's a group that hasn't caught many footballs to this point really until the last game. It's constantly getting better. I've said it before, but we're an improving bunch. I still think we have some of our best football ahead of us, we just have to get it to happen on Sunday and really build off of last week.
On what he said to Stephen Hill after his drop at New England…
I just said, "Don't even worry about it. There's no time because you're going to get another shot. You're going to get another shot to catch the ball. Just forget about it. Never happened. Move on."
On if Stephen Hill took his advice…
He was fine. That was one of the things I put a lot of emphasis on, making sure he's good to go, especially after a tough situation like that. You categorize your mistakes. My interception was late and a bad decision. His drop was a physical mistake. He ran the right route. He got himself open. He knows how to catch the football. He had a heck of a game, so I'm not worried about him at all.
On if the coaches trust him in big situations…
I think they have plenty of trust in me. I don't look into things like that. They're trying to put us in a position to win and calling the best plays we possibly can. We're all in this thing together. He's not, "We can't do this because of Mark." I don't think that's his thought process at all.
On if he was frustrated about Tebow taking the first snap of the final drive during regulation…
I think the drive before was really the big one where we had chances to make plays. There were plenty of opportunities all over the field. It just happened to be in that sequence.
On if he has a feel for when Tebow is going to come into games…
You get more and more used to it each week, but the packages are designed specifically for different situations. He has gotten us right down to the goal line. He's going to punch one in any day, so that will come. As far as the sequencing goes, we should be able to run it whenever we feel like it, really. I would assume we should be able to run any play we have on that game plan sheet.
On his touchdown pass to Keller…
It was tight in there for sure, but I trust him. I trust him to be in the right spot at the right time. He knows that if there's a window, I'll get it in there to him and he'll do the rest. He did more than I did and he deserves the credit for it. It was a great catch.
On if he was planning to throw to Keller on his touchdown catch…
Not necessarily.
On if it's easier to control the huddle with younger receivers…
I wouldn't say one's easier or harder. I feel confident either way. It doesn't matter to me. I love having Tone in there. I love playing with these guys. That doesn't matter.
On the interception…
I threw it late. It was way too late. I was looking the other way. I shouldn't have been looking the other way. I just went to the wrong guy. I thought it was something different and missed it. I really did. I tried to make up for it and shouldn't have done it.
On if the throw to Stephen Hill was too late…
I was just late.
On how his hand is feeling… It feels good.
